22 - 26 June 2026: Find out more
BUILD YOUR OWN
RESOURCE LIBRARY
Podcasts
Cities Thriving on Lighting, Episode 2 – Simplicity by design in smart lightingSponsored by Paradox Engineering
Cities Thriving on Lighting, Episode 1 – Lighting as the backbone of the smart citySponsored by Paradox Engineering
Phoenix covers 100 miles of streets with cool paving
The programme involves applying a cool seal coating to streets in dozens of neighbourhoods citywide, which has been proven to reduce the surface temperature.
Phoenix Street Transportation Department’s Cool Pavement programme has hit the 100-mile mark.
The programme began in 2020 and the cool seal coating has been applied to the streets in dozens of neighbourhoods citywide and the parking lot of Esteban Park.
Urban heat island effect
The most recent neighborhood streets to receive the cool seal coating are located in the area bordered by Lower Buckeye Road and Durango Street between 83rd and 79th avenues. That area accounts for approximately five miles of local roadway and crews are working on the application process this week.
The cool pavement coating is a water-based, non-toxic, recyclable product that bonds to asphalt. Street Transportation Department staff and Arizona State University researchers have partnered to analyse the impact cool pavement has on the urban heat island effect.
Read More
Testing has proven a 10.5 to 12 degree Fahrenheit surface temperature difference in the midday and afternoon hours, and that surface temperatures at sunrise averaged 2.4 degrees lower.
Additionally, the durability of the coating, which acts as sunscreen for the pavement, is being studied to learn if it will lengthen the maintenance life of the pavement surface. Testing to date shows the core temperature of the asphalt is lower, which could lead to a long-term cost efficiency for pavement maintenance.
Testing has proven a 10.5 to 12 degree Fahrenheit surface temperature difference in the midday and afternoon hours, and that surface temperatures at sunrise averaged 2.4 degrees lower
The cool pavement seal coat is produced locally by manufacturer GuardTop, which in 2017 opened a 120,000-square-foot production facility near downtown Phoenix. Since 2022, the company has exclusively produced the cool pavement material at that facility, which is its Sustainability Hub.
In addition to supplying the product to the City of Phoenix, it is shipped to locations domestically and internationally, including Australia, Canada, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.
Find out more about how Phoenix is dealing with extreme heat in our Fireside Chat with mayor Kate Gallego.
Why not try these links to see what our SmartCitiesWorld AI can tell you.
(Please note this is an experimental service)
How does cool seal coating reduce urban street surface temperatures?What impact does cool pavement have on the urban heat island effect?How does the cool pavement coating improve asphalt maintenance lifespan?What are the environmental benefits of using water-based, non-toxic coatings?How is the cool pavement material produced and distributed globally?
Latest City Profile
Latest Urban Exchange Podcast
Latest Special Report
SmartCitiesWorld Newsletters (Daily/Weekly)
You may also like these related articles...
BECOME A MEMBER
© 2026 SmartCitiesWorld
Smart Cities World Ltd, 37 Lombard Street, London, EC3V 9BQ